New Reasons To Smile
by Tsurugi-Sama
Summary: With no reason to stay, Naruto leaves Konoha to make his own road, making new friends and foes, and plunging into a dangerous new life: the leader of Isan, the wandering Jinchuriki. NaruXOC GaaXOC
1. Prologue

**New Reasons To Smile**

Prologue

He always liked the night. He used to watch the stars sparkle through the window of his lonely apartment, every once in a while reaching up, as if trying to grab one of those tiny bundles of light, only to grasp at the empty air, filling his fist with nothingness. He knew he'd never reach them; that they were impossible to attain, just like the unicorns of legend. But that never stopped him from trying. He never stopped trying to reach the stars, always hoping that someday, he'd feel the warmth of the tiny bundle in his palm, and the joy of doing the impossible.

Slowly, the young blonde boy reached up once more, breaking stride to reach up and grasp at the sky. He felt it again, the same emptiness filling his fist. Slowly, he lowered his fist, replacing it at his side, and continued forward, keeping his gaze at the ground.

He hated the feeling of the stone as he walked along the Konoha streets. He wanted to break free from it all, to remove his restraints that kept him bound. His hand twitched as he raised it, running it over the cool metal of his forehead protector. With a small growl, he wrapped his hands around the front of the metal, and pulled, undoing the knot behind his head and letting the cloth flow, before falling lifeless, still strapped to the metal between his fingers. He placed it in his pocket, and continued on, towards the gates, and towards the next step to his freedom.

And before he knew it, he was there: the great gates of Konoha. Like always, they were open, welcoming the needy into a warm new beginning, but to Naruto, it was the first step on the road to a long journey.

But unlike the many times he'd left before, the boy wasn't smiling. He'd just come through those gates earlier that day, bringing back the body of his former comrade, Sasuke Uchiha. It had been a bloody battle, but Naruto made good on his promise to bring Sasuke back even if he had to break his body to do so. Sakura took him and Sasuke to the hospital when they got back, not even mad at Naruto for hurting Sasuke. She actually hugged him when he walked through he gates with the battered Uchiha, with Kakashi giving him an approving nod. He smiled a bit at the memory. And for a short while, it seemed that the day was getting even better as he relayed his mission results to the council. They all gave him small smiles as he told them how he fought Sasuke, and successfully completed the mission.

But…

Shortly after, Sasuke woke up, and was ordered to relay a report to the council. He relayed what happened to a runner ninja, and the runner ninja told the council. However, although their stories were almost exactly alike, Sasuke's report told them about a strange red Chakra in the shape of a fox, and how Naruto fought so savagely after his body was surrounded by that Chakra. The look the council gave Naruto made things clear: whatever trush they'd placed in him was long lost.

So now, here he stood, mere feet away from the gate, in an orange cloak with black flames licking the bottom running to his feet, and black kanji on the back for 'Isan', or legacy, and a black spiral on the right side of his collar. The collar was held together around his neck with a black string, laced and connecting with his shirt. He also wore a fishnet shirt and a black jacket with some orange lining, both with sleeves reaching his wrists. His jacket was left undone, clearly revealing the necklace Tsunade had given him only days ago. He wore standard black shinobi pants, with an orange shuriken and kunai pouch on both legs, and black sandals. He had two orange shinobi pouches on the back of his belt, both containing nothing more than a few scrolls and enough food for a few meals. His hair blew freely in the wind, unrestrained by the forehead protector.

He stared at the few feet between him and the exit, not bothering to wonder why there was no security there tonight. He took one step forward, then another, and another, until one more would put him across the sanctuary that was Konoha and bring him into the harsh world, with no one to hold his hand anymore. From this point on, he was on his own.

He raised his foot, his forehead relieved to meet the cool air for once as a few drops of sweat streaked down his face. He extended it, and just as it was about to step across the border, he pulled it back, and turned around, smirking as he met the three people he should have expected to see.

"Naruto…why? Why would you abandon us?" Iruka asked.

Naruto turned to the side, unable to meet his gaze. "You saw how they looked at me…they'll never trust me with missions again." He smiled sadly.

"But that's no reason for you to leave. We still trust you." Kakashi said, actually putting down his book.

"Kakashi-sensei…no, I'm sorry, but I can't call you that anymore." Kakashi frowned, but Naruto turned around, and did his best to look him in the eye. "No, please don't take it like that. You've taught me a lot, but I need to start surviving by myself. I can't be a student anymore…not where I'm going." Kakashi looked at him sadly, leaving it to the next member of their little trio.

"But…you're not ready. You're not strong enough. You couldn't survive on your own out there. Akatsuki is out there somewhere…if they catch you, no one could help you…" Jiraiya nearly whispered the last part.

Naruto shook his head, suddenly turning serious. "No. I'm not alone. Here in Konoha, I am truly alone…but out there…there have to be others."

"You don't mean…" Kakashi trailed off.

Naruto nodded. "Yes. There have to be eight others, just like me…ones who bear the same curse of being what is called a jinchuriki. Akatsuki is after them, too." Naruto paused, gripping his fists so tightly a small trail of blood ran down his knuckles. "This is our fight. We'll stand against them together. It's our only hope of surviving."

"Naruto, let me come with you. I can-" Naruto cut Jiraiya off.

"No" He said, shaking his head. "No. You have other things you have to do. This is what I have to do. Please understand…I can't stay here anymore…" He looked up at the sky again, and reached, but did no clasp his hand. "It has to be us. It has to be. I'll find the strength to stand against them with the others…we'll defeat them. And then…maybe we can all laugh and celebrate together, like we could before this whole mess began." Naruto finished.

Iruka bowed his head, shedding a few tears. "Alright…"

"Iruka!" The other two shouted.

But Iruka just shook his head. "Naruto told me, when he passed the second stage of the Chunin exam, that he wasn't a kid anymore…" Iruka looked up, and smiled. "Naruto, make us proud. I understand that you want to fight alone…but if you're ever tired, don't hesitate to come here and rest. Even if it's all nine of you, feel free. You'll always have a home here, remember that." Iruka finished, smiling.

Naruto tried to smile, but it just wouldn't come. "Yeah…thanks for understanding, Iruka-san." He knew he wouldn't take him up on that offer, but he just couldn't say it to his face…not when this may be the last time he ever saw him.

"So…there's no talking you out of leaving, is there?" Kakashi asked, already knowing the answer.

Naruto shook his head. "No. I'm leaving, and that's that." Naruto said.

Jiraiya sighed, and walked forward, placing his hand on Naruto's head. "You know, you look just like the fourth did right now; so full of determination. No one ever talked him out of doing something he set his mind on, either." Jiraiya chuckled, before smiling. "Your eyes hold the same look as his did, yet grow colder as the days pass. Grow strong, and make us proud." He placed a hand on his shoulder, and squeezed. "Find your own happiness, Naruto. Your eyes don't look good like that, so full of emptiness."

Naruto nodded, still unable to smile. "Well…for now I'll head to sand village first, and pick up Gaara. Then, I'll look for any other clues as to where the others are."

Jiraiya perked up. "I heard one resides in the mist village, if you're interested."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah…I'll head there when I get to it, but I'm sure there are some in between. I've got to find them all, before the Akatsuki does. There won't be time for any fun and games."

Kakashi's face was blank, still not knowing what to say. Finally, he walked forward, and held out his hand. "Alright…but don't die, Naruto. Remember, we still care about you here, even if the council doesn't. I'm sure many of the other rookies would have come if they'd known you were leaving."

Finally, Iruka stepped forward. He reached behind him, and pulled out a ninjato with an orange hilt, and a black sheath and pommel and guard. Naruto lifted his wrist, and used his Chakra to push some claws out from under his sleeve, showing them he already had a weapon. There were four dull steel claws along each hand, each about a foot long, attached with straps to his arm, and a rail that allowed Naruto to push them forward with his chakra. Until then, they ran along his forearms. But Iruka just shook his head. "This is from us, so that you never forget."

"Remember, if you do intend to find the other eight, you have a tough journey ahead of you. Never loose sight of your goal." Kakashi said.

"Grow strong. The Akatsuki are powerful. Keep your friends close, and stand on your own two feet, and walk." Jiraiya nodded.

"Let these be our last lessons to you as your teachers, Naruto, and good luck." Iruka held out the sword, which Naruto slowly reached for, and held in his hands as if it were some ancient artifact. Slowly, he removed the blade form the sheath, revealing the shining silver surface, and letting the moonlight reflect into his eyes before sheathing it. He strapped it around his back underneath his cloak, with the handle just poking out from above the cloak on his right side, ready to be drawn.

"Alright…well, I guess this is good-bye."

"Yeah…" The other three responded.

Slowly, each of them went up and hugged Naruto, saying their last words to him before he began his journey. Jiraiya promised to not have him labeled as a missing nin, Kakashi promised to cover for him with Sasuke and Sakura, and Iruka promised to talk to Konohamaru and the others. And finally, Naruto handed him his forehead protector, his final material link to the village that he had. Iruka took it with trembling hands, nodding, hugging the boy one last time.

With their good-byes finished, Naruto turned away, unable to meet their gaze any longer, and slowly made that final crossing across the border. It seemed like it took forever as his foot lingered in the air. And just then, he found himself on the other side. Then, it hit him: from now on, there was no going back; no more place that he could call home. He had to go forward. This was just the beginning. Pushing himself into the air, he began to jump from tree to tree, leaving his three former teachers, and everything else he ever knew behind.

As he continued through the trees, he looked up at the stars once more.

They were shining just as brightly as ever.

Next Time: What You Gave Me!

**Notes**

Okay! That's the beginning! I hope you like it!

I changed the title back, in case some people haven't seen that yet.

Next time Gaara will come into the story, and the hunt will continue! I hope you stick around!

Fict Fact

The opening was actually supposed to be when Naruto gets banished, but this seemed better in the end to start things off, with Naruto willingly going off to find the others of his own will.

Well, until next time! Tell me what you think in a review!

Later

Tsurugi-Sama


	2. What You Gave Me!

**New Reasons To Smile**

What You Gave Me!

Fire…fire everywhere…engulfing all of konoha. Citizens ran screaming through the streets as the waves of fire splashed through the streets, toppling buildings in seconds, killing hundreds. Shinobi charged at the source of the massacre, only to be whipped through the air, sent miles through the sky. Kakashi Hatake charged with his Raikiri, knowing he could do nothing but buy time. He leapt through the air, embedding it in the fiery red cocoon in the center of the fires. He ignored the burning sensation around him as other shinobi surrounded him, including the rookie nine and team Gai and the sand siblings, along with Iruka. The Konohamaru corps were nearby with hundreds of other shinobi, watching as they prepared for the worst.

Kakashi's eyes widened as he tried to remove his arm, but too late; when he pulled it out, he only had a bloody stub. Kakashi sank to the ground as Tsunade approached them with Jiraiya and began covering up his wound, before focusing their attention on the cocoon. They both summoned their bosses and ordered them to attack, spraying it with gigantic waterballs and acid, along with the myriad of other attacks from the other shinobi. But all for naught.

The cocoon stood unharmed, and began glowing even brighter. All the shinobi could do was watch in fear, resigning themselves to their deaths, as the cocoon burst open, releasing an explosion of titanic proportions. The remains of Konoha were vaporized in seconds. One could see it from space!

As the dust settled, Konoha, and everything within a ten-mile radius was one giant crater. At the center, a lone figure fell from where the cocoon once stood, landing at ground zero of the apocalyptic event. Slowly, he gathered himself, with his feral features only continuing to grow, further separating himself from humanity. His whisker marks were now real whiskers, and he had black lines around his mouth and eyes, and his ears were that of a fox, along with his teeth. He wore nothing, content with his bare skin, slowly turning red. Out of his tail bone were nine soft tails, waving freely behind him. The young boy, if he could be called that at all, looked up, staring off into space. In the dust of the disaster, only his slit red eyes shined through the darkness. The only living eyes that had witnessed the event.

The demon smirked.

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"AAAUGH!" Naruto shouted with a start, sitting up faster than lightning can strike. He pulled of his cloak which he used as a blanket and stood up, staring at his trembling his hands. His eyes shook, not sure what to think. He took deep, ragged breaths as he convinced himself that that wasn't him. It was just a nightmare induced by his lack of sleep the past three days. Still, he knew that that wasn't just any nightmare. It was a premonition of what might come.

Naruto steadied his breaths and tried to think of happy memories, like when he graduated, or when he beat Neji or Gaara, or when Tsunade gave him the necklace.

He frowned. That had the opposite effect on him. He sighed, knowing that he would never achieve his old dream now. He growled and punched the dirt. Whatever cruel god up there must enjoy torturing him. Oh well, at least he got his mind off the dream…oh shit!

Naruto sighed and let it go for now, hoping to forget about it. He wrapped his black and orange cloak around his body once more and jumped ran as fast as he could from the small oasis he had taken shelter in before. The land was hot, and the sand kept giving way, making it hard to keep balance. But Naruto persisted, knowing full well that he couldn't fail.

He looked up at the cloudy sky. It was just after nine, by the looks of it. If he continued at this pace, he'd make it to the Sand Village before lunch, and maybe have a nice little feast with Gaara and his family.

He continued to run, focusing on his task, not the nightmare. He had to keep his eyes on the prize, for the sake of all Jinchuriki. This thought brought him down another: how was he going to find them?

He was sure that many other lands had laws hat kept others under a vow of silence. He had told Jiraiya that he'd ask around in bars if necessary, but how many drunken idiots could there be? If they did, there was no set way for him to find any of the others. Naruto's brow furrowed as he tried to find a solution. He could travel to every village, but that would take years, and he didn't want to spend more than two years gathering the other eight. Perhaps he should've had Jiraiya help him scout out the others. He shook his head. No, this was their fight now. Akatsuki is their enemy.

And now, there was Gaara. Would he come? He had become fairly close with him, but Gaara was different than him. Gaara still had family, and they'd been on much better terms recently. The question was whether or not Gaara would even want to join. He wouldn't last long alone, even with his shadow clones. Any two Akatsuki members would take him down in two seconds flat. But with Gaara, he at least stood a chance.

The Akatsuki…right now, if he met any of them, he may as well go along quietly. He'd done his best to hide his chakra, and he had no idea where Itachi and Kisame were right now. They could even be tracking him. But he only had a disadvantage right now. If he could gather the other eight, then they would all have to search for then all hiding in one spot. If they only traveled in groups of two, we could take them down easily, and be sent to hell before they even knew we were there.

He was so lost in thought of the possibilities that he failed to notice when he arrived at the large walls of Sunagakure. They were well over eighty feet high, rising in rows along the wall. Where the walls met, there was a small sliver which people could walk through to get to the village.

Naruto stopped running as soon as he got to the wall. He looked up at it, wondering what to do. Not seeing anyone, he walked over to the entrance and stepped in. Suddenly, he felt a kunai pressed to his throat. He was about to turn around, but his better judgment told him to stand still.

"What reason do you have for coming to our village?" The shinobi asked. Naruto could tell he was currently examining him for any genjutsu.

"I'm here to see an old friend." Naruto replied.

"Who?"

"Gaara. Could you give me directions?" He felt the man tense, but quickly regain composure.

"…Very well. I believe he resides in the western area of the town, though his family owns the first training ground. Give us your name and you are free to enter Sunagakure."

"Kazama Arashi. Now please let me in." I lied, using the fake name I'd come up with beforehand. The shinobi nodded and jumped back up into the crowd. He continued through until he came to the end of the tall crevice in the wall, and into the enormous walled city that was Sunagakure.

The sun was bright, sending heat waves down onto the desert village. The buildings matched the environment, and appeared to be made out of a mixture of solid stone and some mud-sand bricks. Naruto walked through the village, pushing his way through the busy streets as he made his way to the western side of the village. It was far more crowded than he first expected, considering it was a desert. But then he remembered that this was one of the five great nations. That gave him a thought to go look in all five great nations, since one was apparently in the Mist village. And right now, a guess was all he had to go on.

Naruto kept planning as he walked through the streets, trying to decide what to do next. He continued walking until he realized he had no idea where he was going, and stopped, looking around in the middle of the street. He had no idea what Gaara's house looked like, so there was no point in heading to the west side. But still, the only other place the shinobi guard had mentioned were the training fields, number one to be precise. But even then, he had no idea where that was.

And then, as if god was answering his prayers, a giant fireball flew through the sky about a mile north of him. Naruto smirked, and ran in that direction.

It was a long run through the village, but Naruto finally arrived at the training fields. Naruto looked over at the map, and saw training field one on the map. It was crossed out, marked unavailable, but according to the guard, it was reserved for the sand siblings. Naruto ran left of the sign through the sand into the plain field, arriving at a small gated area built on rock, with several rock columns rising out of the ground. He smirked and ducked behind a nearby rock, catching sight of the reason he journeyed to Sand.

Gaara stood in the center of the mediocre training field with his sand circling around him. He spread his legs and crouched, bringing his hands together to perform seven handseals. He planted his hands on the ground, and pressed. About two feet in front of him, a rock about a meter in diameter flew up into the air, which Gaara quickly caught with his sand. He had the sand surround the rock as he brought up one hand and tilted it to the inside. He used the sand to move the rock away from him, and clasped his hand into a fist. The sand compressed around the rock, trying to squeeze some life out of the lifeless object. Gaara released his grip on the sand, and sent it back into his gourd as the rock hit the ground. There was little damage done to it, other than a few small cracks and a few chips fallen off. Gaara scowled, not pleased with his work. He was prepared to try again, right before the wind blew.

Just out of the corner of his eye, Gaara caught sight of a flash of orange and blonde. He turned, and indeed, some orange cloth was swaying with the wind low to the ground and some blonde hair just above a rock about twenty feet away. Gaara reacted on instinct, and sent his sand flying at the rock, but Naruto jumped high into the air. Gaara continued sending his sand after him, but just as it caught up, Naruto compressed chakra behind the claws on his arms and released it, pushing them forward and gathering chakra into the claws themselves. Just as the sand reached him, he cross-slashed, releasing the wild chakra in the form of six blades, meeting the sand and splitting into hundreds of smaller blades, dividing the incoming sand.

Naruto smirked as he hit the ground, looking up to meet the other young man's eyes. "Heh. Long time no see, eh Gaara?" Naruto said, drawing the claws back under his sleeves once again by the small rails they rested on.

"Naruto?" Gaara asked, keeping his calm demeanor. "What brings you this far out of Konoha?" Gaara asked, noticing Naruto's free forehead.

Naruto smirked. "Just wanted to personally thank you for helping us bring Sasuke back. Though, that was unexpected." He said, closing the distance and now standing face-to-face with Gaara.

"…We already accomplished that when we completed our mission. Surely there's more to it than that." Gaara said ignoring the latter comment, staring at Naruto.

Naruto sighed. "Yeah, I got business in Sunagakure, but I figured, why not stop to visit an old friend?" He told him with a happy smile.

Gaara nodded. "Yes…it's good to see you again, Naruto." Gaara said, before using his sand to grab a bag thirty feet away from him and throwing it at him, which he easily caught. Gaara gripped it by the handle and returned to staring at Naruto, taking in his new appearance. It still spoke of idiocy at some level, especially with the orange color, but he accepted it as a far better style than that orange monstrosity. "Come. You must be hungry. My brother and sister promised to have a meal ready by the time I arrived."

Naruto was about to protest due to time constraints, but his grumbling stomach and Gaara's insistence by grabbing his wrist told him that he wasn't going anywhere that wasn't a dinner table anytime soon.

The two crossed through the market heading back to Gaara's home, receiving numerous stares from the villagers. Naruto remembered those eyes; the same eyes he's seen as long as he could remember. However, unlike before, the stares weren't directed at Naruto.

Gaara continued to lead Naruto through the crowd holding him at the wrist, pulling him along. He seemed completely oblivious to the stares of those around him, focusing only on the task at hand. His calm, controlled demeanor didn't change once. Gaara just didn't seem to care.

"Gaara…they-"

"They're not worth your worry." Gaara told him. Naruto silently agreed that these people shouldn't be given any thought, but Naruto still knew that the stares could get to Gaara. After all, they were the same. If this had never happened, if they'd never been chosen to be Jinchuriki, if those damn demons had just minded their own business, then maybe they'd all be happy, ignorant young genin, surrounded by friends and family, with his biggest worry being how to ditch his next useless mission watering flowers.

But not them. He'd never been beaten; no one ever had the courage. But they'd always talk behind his back, sending him those cold glares. They never knew, but he'd hear them. He'd hear people calling him a demon and a remnant of that dark day. Being left alone like that, with people never giving you a helping hand or a simple smile, was worse than any beating he could've ever received. And he knew Gaara had lived a life just like him, in fact even longer than he had. If anything, Gaara had had it worse, knowing that someone was always out to kill him, was something that he couldn't imagine bearing.

Naruto looked up, noticing how Gaara had stopped. Naruto looked past him, and saw a large round mud dome with windows and a door between two of the sand skyscrapers. It had a chimney at the top with smoke rising through the top, showing signs of activity inside. Gaara reached out and opened the door, and invited Naruto inside.

Naruto nodded and entered, taking off his sandals at the entrance, and stepping onto the carpet. Gaara followed, copying Naruto's entrance. "I'm back." He announced.

"All right, lunch will be ready in five minutes!" A male voice responded, which could only be Kankuro.

"I've brought a guest." He added after a second.

"Oh? Who?" Temari called out from upstairs.

"Uzumaki Naruto." Gaara responded.

"Ehh?! Naruto?!" Kankuro responded, walking out from the kitchen to confirm it. He wasn't wearing his usual outfit; instead he went casual with some brown sweatpants and a black t-shirt. He hadn't taken off his makeup, and wasn't wearing his cap either. "What're you doing here?"

Naruto grinned stupidly and scratched the back of his head. "Ehh…just visiting."

"I thought you said you had a mission." Gaara said calmly.

"Oh, yeah. I've been sent here by the Godaime for a short while. Secret stuff, ya know. I'll be gone in a few days." He replied as Temari came down. She, unlike Kankuro, was still in her ninja gear.

"Really? Just you?" Temari asked.

"Yeah." Naruto responded, trying desperately to keep his story together. "Sasuke's still in the hospital, Sakura's with him, and Kakashi's-" Gaara's eyes narrowed. "-out on an S-rank mission!" He announced. "So, I'll be staying in the village for a few days."

"You got a place to stay?" Kankuro asked.

Naruto shook his head. "Nah, not yet, but I will soon! I'm gonna go get a hotel room before nightfall, so I'll be fine."

"You're welcome to stay here." Gaara offered, turning to his siblings. "Any problems?"

"None."

"I'm fine with it." Their replies weren't forced, like they had been before.

"Well, shall we eat?" Kankuro asked, to which everyone nodded and followed him into the kitchen. It was quite nice, with a small chandelier above the round table already set with food. There were dumplings, rice balls, fresh sea fish, and a sunagakure special, tri-layered sand cake.

The four of them sat down around the table and grabbed what they wanted. Naruto, who hadn't had anything to eat since he found that berry bush yesterday, all but dove at the food after the traditional itadakimasu. The sand siblings, meanwhile, ate in silence as they danced with the idea that the blonde's stomach was a black hole.

"…His stomach must be elastic." Kankuro commented as he sliced a piece of his fish.

"More like another universe." Temari pondered, nibbling on a dumpling.

"…Still too small." Gaara analyzed, eating the last of his cake.

They all finished, and the four of them went into the kitchen to do the dishes. Temari scrubbed, Kankuro rinsed and bleached, Naruto dried, and Gaara put them away.

"So, Naruto." Temari asked while scrubbing a platter. "How's your team? What's Sasuke up to?"

Naruto paused for a moment, unsure of what to say. He really had no idea…but wait! That would work! "I've got no idea. I left before there were any recent updates. It took me five days to get here, after all." He lied. It had only taken him two and a half days. No surprise, considering his stamina could keep his pace up.

"Oh." Temari sighed. "To think that Orochimaru would sacrifice so many people just for a new body."

"It's not that surprising. This is Orochimaru, after all. He'd kill half his subordinates if it got him what he wanted without batting an eyelash." Naruto told them.

"He's got no concern for human life…" Kankuro added. Gaara flinched.

"Well…anyways, that's nothing to concern ourselves with. Orochimaru lost a lot of his best men trying to get Sasuke. Even if they were just his tools, he'll be reeling from the loss for now. We've got some time to relax."

Gaara shook his head, putting some plates in the cabinet. "No. This isn't over. Sound's already on bad terms with Sand and Leaf. If either side slips up any further, it'll site the third great Shinobi war."

Temari nodded. "Yeah…Cloud and Stone haven't been kind to the leaf village either. They've all got a grudge, and Mist and Grass have a dirty past with us, too."

Naruto contemplated the information, and stated his conclusion. "So, if war were to break out, it'd be all them against Leaf and Sand, and probably Waterfall and Smoke. So three major and two minor villages against two major and two minor villages."

Temari bowed her head. "Not good odds…especially with our numbers down from that assault Orochimaru tricked us into."

Naruto grinned and shook his head. "No, no it's perfect." They turned and looked at Naruto for an explanation, which he happily gave. "Even though they'd all be united against us, that's only because of their hate of a common enemy. They're not all on good terms themselves. So, in a best case scenario, that side could split into two, forming a three-way war. Sand and Leaf got a pretty rugged history, but overall have some level of allegiance and loyalty. We wouldn't break so easily, even though your village betrayed Leaf." Gaara's eyes narrowed. "Even if they didn't break, it'd be an uneasy alliance, with neither side unable to trust each other. Soldiers wouldn't obey orders from foreign commanders, and their troops would soon be in disarray, with commanders giving contradicting orders. Their superior numbers would count for nothing, and the superior skill of the other village's ninja would shatter any attempts at a defense."

The three of them were slightly shocked at Naruto's analytical skills, not quite sure of what to make of it. However, after a moment they reattached their jaw muscles and finished their duties, and removing their rubber gloves as they unblocked the sink drains, letting the water drain out.

"Well…that may be all well and fine, but still…" Kankuro muttered, lowering his gaze. "Numbers count for something. I'd rather avoid all-out war if at all possible."

"Same." Temari muttered. "But still, if it does happen…"

Gaara put the forks in the drawer and closed it, ending the cleaning, and giving another short glare at Naruto. _'Something's wrong here.' _Gaara thought, but let it go for now.

Kankuro dusted off his hands on his pants ater they'd al finished, and pointed to the door leading out of the kitchen. "Well, we'll worry about that later. Let me show you to the guest bedroom, Uzumaki-san." Naruto nodded, signaling he was ready.

Kankuro walked out of the kitchen and into a hallway lined with various pictures of their family. He turned around and signaled Naruto to follow him, who immediately followed. Naruto entered the hallway, and noted that many of the pictures had all three of them in it, even Gaara. However, he also saw small lines around the glass where Gaara was, marking areas which had previously been covered in tape to keep him from view. Naruto smirked. This was a good sign.

Kankuro led Naruto down the hall to the end, where he opened a door on the right side, exposing a small room with a wooden floor and grey tatami mats, with another sliding door leading into a closet. "I'll set up your futon, and Temari will bring down the supplies. We'll have it ready in a few minutes, so go ahead and make your self at home."

Naruto shook his head. "Nah, sorry but I gotta go. Business in the village, and I'll be out late. Sorry to impose…" Naruto said, reaching back to scratch the back of his head.

Temari came downwith a white bedsheet and a pillow in her arms, quirking up at Naruto's reply. "Oh? Where're you going? Maybe Gaara can show you around."

Gaara came out from the hallway, following his sister. "Of course." Gaara replied, staring suspiciously at Naruto.

Naruto quickly waved his hands in front of himself, grinning like an idiot. "No thanks, I'll be fine! I got a map!" Naruto told them, before heading to the door at the other end of the hallway. "Thanks for the room! See ya later!" Naruto shouted as he pulled on his sandals and closed the door.

"…Something happened." Temari said, suddenly serious as Naruto left.

"Yeah…so who's gonna follow him?" Kankuro asked, looking from Temari to Gaara.

Gaara turned to the window and used his sand to grab his sandals. "I'll see what he's up to." Temari and Kankuro nodded, turning back to the other tasks at hand. He told them as he forced open the lock with his sand and jumped out the circular hole.

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'_The Drunken Owl's Inn…not exactly the finest of places to begin my search…_' Naruto thought as he stared down the rackety inn. The sign of an owl hiccupping bubbles hanging by a rusty hinge wasn't a pleasant invitation. Then again, neither was the old building that was literally falling apart with mold growing in the cracks. The sound of drunken brawls within didn't help, either.

Naruto sighed and braced himself as he transformed into a man clearly over thirty with straight long blonde hair in a horsetail that reached his waist, wearing a black vest and black pants. He also had a long cloak on, to cover his custom shuko claws. His sword handle still protruded, but he figured it would be better to use as intimidation.

Naruto walked into the inn, and walked past the innkeeper and straight into the bar, ignoring the grunts the innkeeper sent him about checking in. But obviously the innkeeper didn't care, as he just let him past. He walked through the door just behind the registration desk…even though he had various holes that would have worked just fine…and into the main bar.

It was a mess. There were pools of vomit and blood, along with some teeth and various other body fluids that Naruto had no desire to recognize. The moment he took a step in, a random thug took a swing at him. Naruto easily spun to the side, and as he finished rotating kicked the man to the side, not wanting to waste time on the drunken majority of the crowd.

Naruto had spent those days traveling doing something, and besides practicing with his claws as he ran, he had planned. Surely other villages would try to keep their jinchuriki under cover, for the sake of surprise if war broke out, so village officials probably wouldn't know. But villagers tended to know, so that means that people who visited those villages would probably find something out, even if they just heard whispers. So, he had to find travelers, but not just any travelers; travelers who did nothing but that! So, any of them wouldn't have much money, so they'd have to stay at the cheapest inn they could find, and they didn't come much cheaper than this in Suna.

Naruto narrowed his eyes, looking past the drunken morons to the walls, looking for anyone sober. Naruto knew that the experienced traveler wouldn't get this drunk. Maybe a few beers, but a weathered one would know that would only hinder them when they had to wake up early. It wasn't hard to figure out, when Naruto actually thought about it.

Naruto spotted a beaten-up old man in a corner who seemed to be trying to separate himself from the others. Naruto narrowed his eyes, wondering if he was sticking out too much, but quickly dismissed the thought, seeing no reason why he should believe that. Besides, the man was obviously a well-worn adventurer. He wore a long hooded brown cloak over several hunting knives and tools with a bow beside his chair, and was smoking a long pipe that reached the table, savoring the rich leaves as they burned. Naruto walked up to another table and grabbed an unconscious man's roast pork, which seemed to be the cleanest thing to steal at the moment. Naruto walked up to the old man, taking note of how the old man seemed to notice him, as both became unaware of whatever happened around them, and merely focused on the meeting that was about to occur.

Naruto reached the table and placed his food down, still gazing at the old man. "Excuse me, may I sit here? I'd rather avoid the ones under the influence."

The man made no motion, other than exhaling a ring of smoke. Naruto took it as an affirmative, and sat down, grabbing a random fork embedded in the wall and wiping it on his cloak, before doing the same to a knife and digging in.

"By the looks of it, you're a traveler, aren't you?" Naruto asked, never letting his henge fall. His voice was much deeper, almost like Asuma's.

"Hmph." Came his reply.

"Got any good stories?" Naruto asked, biting into the meat, which actually tasted quite juicy.

The old man sat still for a moment, not even breathing, before raising his hand in the air, and snapping his fingers twice. Immediately a bottle of sake flew out from behind the desk, which the old man caught with ease. Naruto's jaw unhinged for a moment, before he caught himself. _'Damn, the old man's got some moves!'_

The old man took the two cups from the top and placed them on the table, taking the bottle in hand and pouring both cups until full. The old man took one for himself, and pushed the other one over to Naruto, who accepted it, trying to remain calm.

"Aye, I got a tale or two. Ya can't roam the earth for near sixty years without colorin' the white sheet a lil'." He said, taking a long swig and draining half his cup in a single sip. Naruto followed, taking a small sip, and forced his face to remain straight as the cheap sake ran like fire down his throat. "So, what'll it be? A long tale of misery and woe in my firs' year? Or perhaps a story of the ol' country, far to the north!"

Naruto sipped the sake again so as to not arouse suspicion, ignoring the vile taste, and shook his head. "Nah…my old man gave me plenty of those." Naruto lied.

The old man poured some more sake and downed the glass, shaking his head as he put his pipe back in his mouth. "Oah? Tha's too bad. Anyway, if tha's no good, how 'bout a story of the great shinobi war?"

"Nah. I was there."

"Ooh, wonderful! So ye're a shinobi, eh? Ex-shinobi by the looks of it. Fine, then. If yeh be hard ta impress, I'll give yeh a tale to grand that even yer ears will turn with interest."

"…You're a lot more talkative than you appeared."

The old man nodded. "Aye, indeed. But it's rare ta meet another of reasonable intelligence in these parts of town, and on th' road it's even rarer. Usually a trained monkey 'sa better conversationalist."

"So it appears…"

"…Ye're differn't, I'll give ya tha'. By the looks of yeh, it's information yeh want."

Naruto nodded. "Yes…and you seem to be the only one who hasn't destroyed all their brain cells yet."

The old man didn't know whether to take it as a compliment or an insult, but chose to ignore it, excited over the idea of sharing stories with another fairly sober being. "So…what is it yeh wanna know?"

Naruto finished off the sake, holding back tears as his insides burned. "Nothing special…but lately, I've been interested in…the biju."

"…!!" The old man went stiff, looking around to make sure no one sober could hear them. Once he was sure, he turned back to Naruto. "Ya got any idea what they'd do ta people who'd talk about them here?! Look, I dunno nuthin, ya got it?!"

Naruto smirked, never blinking. "But you do. And I wanna know."

"…Why?"

"I've heard of the Shukaku, and even the Kyubi, but that's it. I haven't been sated. I wanna know more."

The old man lowered his head, playing with a small hunting knife in his hands. Then, when he spoke, he no longer used his accent. He looked up, his wrinkled face illuminated by the faint glow of the candles beneath his cloak. "Man's bane may very well be his infinite lust for knowledge, and his inability to be sated. I suggest you remember that."

"Perhaps…but my conscious won't be at ease until I know more." Naruto smirked. "Surely, a traveler of your experience has picked up a few details."

"…No…no, I couldn't…"

"What would it hurt? It's not like there's any harm. They're dead after all." He said, grinning a little.

The old man looked down, and smirked, before rising again, his face emotionless. "Very well…but these events will never have happened. I'm telling you because I like you, but still…we never met, understand?" He looked at the rest of the drunken idiots. "They won't remember anything, either."

Naruto nodded. "Very well…now, if you would…"

The old man filled both their sake cups once more, and laced his fingers together on the table. "I know of two others…both which occurred in ninja villages…one in the grass village…and one in the stone village…I never learned how the one in grass was sealed, but I once lived in the village hidden in the stone…I was there with family when it happened." The man's look became even graver.

"…What?"

The man's grip tightened, his laced fingers squeezing together, shaking the table with his fury. "…The demon killed the only family I ever had…before the village elders gave their lives to defeat it. That was about thirteen years ago…around the time when most of the demons began to awaken. I've never been back there since…and I don't know anything else…so if you want to know more, you'll have to got there yourself. I doubt anyone will tell you more. The villagers were hesitant to tell me even that."

"Are you sure? Not even which demons they were?"

The old man's hands twitched, and he sighed. "Yes…I know, but it's not really important, is it?"

"…Does it hurt?"

The old man sunk even further within himself. "…Yes…"

Naruto stood up, and placed a few bills on the table, paying for their drinks as thanks, and finished drowning the rest of his sake in one gulp. He gasped as he finished, letting a tear slip past his defenses. "…Thank you. I'll do just that."

The old man didn't look up, but he nodded. "Good luck, stranger. Perhaps we'll meet again on the road."

Naruto turned around, smirking. "…Perhaps…and if we do, I'll share some stories of my own." He said as he walked away.

The old man looked up as he walked out, and nodded, smiling as his grey eyes went completely white. "Yes. Farewell, Uzumaki Naruto." He muttered calmly as he untangled his fingers and began to drink once more, tuning out the noise of the drunken brawls as he drank away his worries.

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Naruto walked through the dark streets of Sunagakure, extremely satisfied with his results. He hadn't wanted to reveal he was a ninja, so he couldn't jump over the buildings and had to walk like a normal shinobi, so it was well past dinnertime. He may have had a map, but he still had to find out just where the slums were on his own, and it took him a few hours on foot, which was no surprise considering the size of the village. He could probably get away with jumping over buildings now, but he needed the time he gained from walking to think of an excuse for being absent for over nine hours.

Suddenly, Naruto's eyes widened as he turned around just in time to see a wall of sand coming at him. Naruto focused chakra into his feet to increase the power of his jump and leaped up on top of the building next to him. Just as he landed, the sand came at him again. He rolled to the side just before it came, but the sand following it just followed him. Naruto brought out his claws and raised his arms high before swiping them down in an X, cutting himself an opening and diving through.

Naruto flipped over to the next building, knowing full well who was after him. "Gaara, what're you doing?" He asked in no particular direction.

Gaara didn't respond with words, but with another attack. He sent another wave of sand after Naruto, who backflipped off the building to escape, and performed handsprings up the one across from it to get to the next roof. He knew Gaara was probably using his sand eye to watch him, so he still had no idea where Gaara may be hiding. But Naruto hadn't been keeping his mind purely on defense. He'd also worked on a strategy.

The sand came at Naruto, but this time, Naruto did nothing except retract his claws, cross his arms across his chest and let it engulf him, trusting Gaara not to permanently harm him. He felt the sand creep around his body until it had a firm hold on him. Naruto felt the sand lift him into the air until and felt a harsh tug as the sand zoomed back across the village to the top of the sand trio's house. There stood Gaara with his back to a chimney, scowling at Naruto.

Gaara brought him face-to-face, not yet letting Naruto down. "Explain just why you're snooping around the slums."

Naruto dropped his head, unable to hide his smirk any longer. Naruto forced his claws out once more and cut through the sand with all his might, falling the few remaining inches and landing on the building with a soft tap. Naruto retracted one claw and raised a fist, trying to punch Gaara in the face. Gaara's eyes widened at this, but calmed back down once his sand rose to defend him. But Naruto still smirked as he shot his claw out once more. The claw cut straight through the sand and stopped just as the points pressed against Gaara's neck, almost begging for permission to continue. Gaara didn't have anywhere to back up to, so he was cornered.

"Hmph." Naruto smirked at his victory and retracted his claws, walking away. "Gaara…next time you want to talk in private, just ask."

Gaara was hyperventilating from the event, bringing a trembling hand up to his throat. He brushed it, making sure there was no blood or wound, and calmed back down knowing he was out of danger. "How'd you cut through the sand so easily?" He asked.

Naruto unsheathed his right claw, holding it up to the moonlight. "They're sharp."

Gaara knew there was more to it, but left it at that for now. "I apologize…but I needed to know what you were doing…and I didn't think you'd answer me at your own free will. You're obviously hiding something."

Naruto sighed. "I'm a bad liar, aren't I?"

Gaara nodded. "Obviously. You used to have incredible pride in your village, but you've only called it the leaf village for a long while, never your village. You've changed. So, why did you come?"

Naruto smiled over his shoulder at Gaara. "Yeah…I came here to talk with you…but now, I don't think you wanna hear it."

Gaara walked over to the edge of the roof, sitting down on the ledge. "If I didn't, then I would have stayed in the training field."

Naruto sighed and walked over to Gaara, sitting down next to him. "I was thinking about it…and you wouldn't be interested."

"Nothing is certain."

Naruto chuckled and stared off at the rest of the village. "I'm no longer a Konoha shinobi."

"!!" Gaara turned to Naruto, eyes wide with shock.

"I left…because I knew that if I stayed, nothing would change. And I came…to ask you to come with me."

"…What?"

Naruto turned to Gaara, eyes determined. "They're coming for us, Gaara…Akatsuki, composed of nine S-rank rogue ninja, are coming for all the Jinchuriki. The citizens of Konoha or Suna would happily give us up to them, to be rid of us. In our villages, we stand alone…so our only hope is to stand together. If all the Jinchuriki unite, then we can fight back against the Akatsuki. Nine of us against nine of them. It's our best hope for survival."

Gaara looked down, confused for the first time in his life. "…And why did you assume I wouldn't go?"

Naruto looked away, unable to meet his gaze any longer. "Because…you've got a family now…a real family. I didn't want to have to ask you to leave them behind. I'm sorry. I was being selfish." Naruto said as he walked back to the door to the stairs, and into the building.

"…Naruto, wait…"

Naruto shook his head again, turning to Gaara. "Don't worry about it. Sorry to bother you." Naruto said before he opened the door and walked down the stairs, leaving Gaara to his thoughts.

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Naruto flopped down on his futon waiting for sleep to take him. If Gaara wasn't coming, he'd have to head straight for Stone village. With any luck, the investigation would go over easy. He'd go in, ask a few random questions, or look for anyone with specific markings, and recruit them. Still, this did put him down a member already, and that wasn't an enjoyable thought.

He did want Gaara to come, but he couldn't be that selfish. It would be too cruel for him to do that. He'd given Gaara all the details, but still, Naruto wasn't sure what was going to happen.

Suddenly, the door slid open. Naruto sat up and extended his custom shuko, but lowered his defenses upon meeting Gaara's gaze. "Gaara…what is it?"

Gaara initially said nothing, but walked in and closed the door behind him. He placed his gourd at the entrance and walked over to a spare fold-up chair in the corner, unfolded it, and sat down a few feet away from where Naruto was laying on the futon.

"I'll do it."

Naruto's eyes widened, his outside in shock and his inside jumping for joy. "…What made you change your mind?"

"I never changed it. I didn't plan on staying." Gaara replied.

"But…why? You've got family here; why leave them?"

"Because if I stayed here…Akatsuki would come to take me. Even if they fought to protect me, they couldn't defeat S-rank ninja. It'll be better if I leave with you, and help find the others."

Naruto still didn't entirely understand. "But…is it right?"

Gaara nodded. "I owe you for that, Naruto. Because of you, no matter what happens, I have a family to come back to. Surely you have people who care about you; who you had to say good-bye to. You let them go, now I have to do the same, at least for now."

Gaara's lips curled into a small smile. "I don't care about the Akatsuki. I'm not coming to fight them, but I will if I have to. I'm coming because I…I want others like us to have that feeling, even if it's only from us. To have a family…even if ours can only be makeshift. I want every other Jinchuriki to escape the loneliness that we were in."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah…I heard that our treatment is the same everywhere…it's unbearable."

"…Do you think we'll ever be able to escape it?"

Naruto smiled. "Normal people will always hold some fear for us…but we'll always have our families and close friends…and…once we all unite, we'll all have each other, as cheesy as it sounds." Naruto chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Well, at least you joined. One down; easier than I thought."

Gaara shook his head. "Don't think it'll always be this easy." Gaara frowned. "The others may all be like me, from a couple months ago."

Naruto sighed, knowing it was true. "Yeah…some will be harder to convince than others. And I had to beat the crap outta you to get you to change. We've got a long journey ahead of us.

Gaara nodded, and stood up, grabbing his gourd and turning to leave. "Tomorrow at dawn, meet me at the front gate. I'll take care of everything." Gaara said before stepping out.

Naruto lay back down, suddenly feeling wide awake. Gaara was coming. Now that he thought about it, Gaara was coming for the same reason he was: neither wanted others involved in the conflict. But they, as Jinchuriki had no choice. This was their war, and even though Gaara said he didn't want to fight this war, he knew that Gaara already accepted this as their future.

Naruto sat up and reached to the interior part of his cloak, unbuttoning a pocket and pulling out a few supplies. He smirked, knowing he still had one thing to do.

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Naruto approached the Suna exit wearing his full attire, letting out a big yawn as he walked. He'd been up for a good part of the night, and he only got a few hours worth of sleep. Luckily, the streets were still fairly dark, as the sun hadn't risen yet. So with most people still in bed, he could get away with jumping along the buildings.

Naruto landed about fifty feet before the exit, looking around, wondering where Gaara was. '_Come on, you idiot! The sun will be rising any minute. We gotta go while we have light.'_

Naruto sat down fuming at Gaara's lack of punctuality for another five minutes before he heard a few impacts behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see all three sand siblings. "You're late."

"My apologies." Gaara replied. He wasn't wearing his red outfit anymore, but wore a black shirt with red slash marks on the shoulders that split once it reached the waist, splitting off to one side and covering his right pant-leg. He still wore his white sash over his left shoulder and his brown strap over his right holding his gourd of sand up, but he also wore a shuriken and kunai holster on his right leg over his black pants and underneath his shirt extension, like all shinobi. He still had his ninja pouch, and another small bag attached to the left side of his belt.

"So…this is real." Temari noted.

Naruto stood up and walked over to them. "Yes…very soon, the Akatsuki will come for us. I'm sorry, but it's unsafe for us to stay near our families any longer."

Gaara nodded. "So, we have no choice."

Kankuro nodded, looking over at his little brother. "Alright…"

Naruto held out his hand and beckoned Gaara to come closer. Gaara nodded, and took a few steps forward. "Since we're not apart of a village anymore, I made us a new symbol." Naruto took the end of Gaara's sash that hung near the bottom of his left leg and took out a piece of paper. It had a red symbol on it, like the one on Naruto's back, and held it to Gaara's white sash. Naruto then placed a hand on it, and ran chakra through it, leaving a tattoo-like print on Gaara's sash. "That will be our symbol until we can all go home." He nodded at Gaara, who was looking at the black symbol on his sash.

"Naruto, I've got something for you." Kankuro shouted over to them. Naruto looked over and ran to Kankuro, who was holding a backpack.

"It's filled with supplies and some money. It's the common currency, so it should be accepted in most places."

Naruto nodded, taking the pack and putting it along his back. "Alright, thanks."

Kankuro shook his head. "No…I should be thanking you."

"Why?"

Kankuro smiled a little. "You gave us our little brother back."

Naruto frowned, looking over at Gaara and Temari, who were saying good-bye. "But now I'm taking him away. Aren't you mad?"?

Kankuro shook his head. "No…because I know we'll meet again someday. So take good care of him for us, okay Naruto?" Kankuro asked.

Naruto nodded, grinning. "Yeah…" Naruto looked past the large walls of Suna, and saw a flicker of sunlight. "Gaara. It's time."

Gaara nodded, and closed his eyes to keep his focus. The sand on the ground started to rise, before being flung through the air in a giant sandstorm. Kankuro handed Naruto a pair of goggles to keep his eyes safe while he and Temari put on their own, watching Gaara work. He sent the sandstorm straight over to the walls of Suna, temporarily blinding the confused shinobi.

Gaara nodded to Naruto, who ran up to him. "Until we meet again." He said to his brother and sister.

"Good luck."

"Stay safe."

Gaara waved to his siblings, who waved back, before turning around and charging forward with Naruto through the small opening in the wall. With all the confusion, no one knew of Naruto or Gaara charging through the opening of the village. They ran straight into the desert, never looking back at the village hidden in the sand, literally. With the sand ripping through the air, no one could use their sandstorm defense training fast enough to spot the two boys. When the sandstorm finally subsided, there was no evidence of the two young shinobi.

Next Time: Two-Tailed Terror

**Notes**

A little longer than I had planned, but it all worked out in the end. A little boring too, I noticed. Oh well, it had to be done.

Now that I'm done with this, I'm gonna read a few stories tonight. I've been wanting to finish CodeKyuubi's story Black Lightning (READ IT! IT'S AWESOME!) for a long time, but college and keeping up my updates is really hard! I also promised someone else to review theirs, so the update for Project Rebirth: Unit One will probably come out next weekend, if I can handle it all.

The title of the next chapter pretty much gives away some of the plot, but still, I'm not using Yugito. Nothing personal, but she's not my character, so I'll make mine more original.

And I know it was a little late, but this one wasn't really fun to write. It was, dare I say it, boring. Sorry if some of it's filler material, but I needed to have the dish cleaning scene to allow the sand siblings to build suspicion of Naruto.

Now, for the replys. From now on, I'm just going to use the reply button, because this section takes up too much room.

**dedicatedgamer44-**Sorry if this one wasn't as good as the prologue, but it was all stuff that had to be done. I'm glad you liked the prologue, though. It was one of my favorite chapters to write. Naruto's clothes were meant to be a combination of the Yondaime's with a more Naruto look, considering their connection with the fox. I'll update the others, and then get another chapter up here!

**Iris Arch-**I haven't seen many either. I once saw one, but lost track of it, unfortunately. It's too bad, but oh well. Updating regularly may be a problem, since I've got four stories to write for, totaling about 30,000 words every time I update all four. I'll update as often as I can, though.

**Kyuubi-Sama-**I'll update as often as I can, but like I said, I've got long stories, so it's hard. I'm glad you liked it, though!

**Random Reader Person-**The opening chapter was dark, but it has to be for a good introduction into the rest of Naruto's life. Glad you liked it, though!

**Ranpuryu-**I wanna update faster, but I've got some really stupid college teachers who make me do the most pointless assignments. It's really a waste of time, sometimes. But I'll update as soon as I can!

**LightningFox101-**It was? Man, I didn't know it was that emotional. The rest will have some pretty dramatic stuff, like all good action/adventure stories, and I hope you'll enjoy it along the way!

**crazylittlefox-**I'll get on my other stories and be back on this one as soon as I can. It's possible for me to write a chapter a day, but I'd kill myself if I did that. Oh well, it'd be pretty sweet, though. I'll try to keep constant updates coming!

**Hiroshima Namikaze-**Thanks for reviewing a lot of my stories. I'll update as soon as I can, which with a little luck and a few gallons of coffee, it will be.

**Isaac A. Drake**-I'll never quit! It'll take a while, but I'll finish all my stories. And the vote was a long time ago. Most people may have forgotten about this. Oh well, thanks for voting!

**shanedude-**Hehe…thanks. I've been at it for a year, so I like to say that I got some experience. And like I said before. And I know I already replied, but you can if you want. I got nothing against it.

**frytrix-**A lot of the stories do that, but I liked this idea better. Besides, he wouldn't just hate his friends. He's not an ass. Although, my other story wasn't as justified, or maybe it was just confusing. I'm glad you like my stories, and I'll keep updating as fast as I can! Thanks for reviewing!

Well, that's all. I'll update soon. If you liked it, please review!

Later

Tsurugi-Sama


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